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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5344 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5344

  To provide for international protection of digital freedom, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 19, 2024

 Mr. Coons (for himself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To provide for international protection of digital freedom, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Digital Freedom Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to ensure that technology is developed, deployed, and 
        governed in accordance with universal human rights, the rule of 
        law, and democratic values;
            (2) to protect and promote digital freedom as a cornerstone 
        of United States foreign policy and prioritize digital freedom 
        to the highest extent possible in diplomatic engagements with 
        foreign countries;
            (3) to cooperate and engage with like-minded countries 
        committed to developing, deploying, and using technology in a 
        manner that respects democracy, the rule of law, and human 
        rights; and
            (4) to lead global efforts to protect digital freedom, 
        counter disinformation and misinformation, and advance 
        democratic governance in the digital space consistent with 
        guidelines outlined in the United States International 
        Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy.

SEC. 3. COORDINATOR FOR DIGITAL FREEDOM DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``Coordinator for Digital Freedom'' means the 
Coordinator for Digital Freedom in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital 
Policy in the United States Department of State.

SEC. 4. ROLE OF THE COORDINATOR FOR DIGITAL FREEDOM.

    (a) Central Objective.--The central objective of the Coordinator 
for Digital Freedom shall be to promote efforts that--
            (1) improve the state of digital freedom globally;
            (2) ensure digital freedom remains a foremost foreign 
        policy priority of the United States Government; and
            (3) coordinate responses to concerning trends impacting 
        digital freedom.
    (b) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Coordinator shall--
            (1) engage foreign governments, nongovernmental 
        organizations, and other actors to coordinate efforts to defend 
        digital freedom against digital authoritarianism and other 
        authoritarian approaches to governance and usage of technology;
            (2) support multilateral efforts to protect and reinforce 
        information integrity within the context of respect for freedom 
        of expression;
            (3) advance the development and maintenance of technology 
        that is designed, governed, and deployed in manners consistent 
        with democracy, the rule of law, and human rights;
            (4) promote digital inclusion across the digital space;
            (5) engage and advance discussions to promote the 
        democratic governance of artificial intelligence and the 
        implications of artificial intelligence governance on human 
        rights and democracy;
            (6) lead efforts within the Department of State to continue 
        publishing guidelines for protecting digital freedom across the 
        cyberspace, including through the Risk Management Profile for 
        Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, as well as the 
        Roadmap for Building Civil Resilience to the Global Digital 
        Information Manipulation Challenge; and
            (7) make recommendations regarding opportunities to advance 
        digital freedom internally within the Department of State, as 
        well as through diplomatic engagements with foreign countries.
    (c) Additional Duties.--In addition to the duties and 
responsibilities specified in subsections (a) and (b), the Coordinator 
may carry out other duties that the Secretary of State may assign.

SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT ON STATE OF DIGITAL FREEDOM IN THE WORLD.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Bureau of 
Cyberspace and Digital Policy shall submit to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives a report on the state of global digital 
freedom.
    (b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) an analysis of concerning trends impacting digital 
        freedom globally, including--
                    (A) digital authoritarianism and threats to 
                democracy;
                    (B) censorship and propaganda;
                    (C) threats to information integrity;
                    (D) threats to digital inclusion;
                    (E) threats to privacy in the digital space; and
                    (F) risks to responsible management of artificial 
                intelligence and democratic governance of artificial 
                intelligence;
            (2) a discussion of particular regions or countries of 
        concern that are experiencing the greatest threats to digital 
        freedom; and
            (3) recommendations for how to protect and promote digital 
        freedom in response to these concerning trends.
                                 <all>
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